Let's get started...

You've come to the right place to begin learning about the hardware and software that make up the Arduino platform. We use a special Arduino board, called the Arno, that makes it easy to start. If you don't have an Arduino board yet, you can order one from Olympia Circuits.

You need a laptop or desktop PC to program your Arno (Windows, Mac OS, or Linux). The Arno connects to your computer with a mini USB cable (included with your Arno board). You can use Codebender's neat web-based programming interface or the tradition Arduino IDE.

Codebender Setup

Codebender allows you to program your Arno (or other Arduino-compatible board) right from a web browser! We use Codebender in the Projectsso that you can upload a sketch to your Arno as you're learning how the sketch works. Codebender currently supports Chrome, Firefox, and a couple of other browsers (but not IE). Windows users need to install the Arduino drivers before they can use Codebender or the Arduino IDE. All users also need to install a browser plugin. Installing the Arduino drivers through Codender quick and easy. Codebender supplies all of the Arduino drivers from Windows XP on, including digitally signed drivers for Windows 8/8.1.

If you chose not to use Codebender then download and install the free Arduino IDE (integrated development environment). You can copy sketches from the Projects and paste them into the IDE instead of using the Codebender window.